Knitting machine



Dec. 22, 1964 R. e. EGERTON ETAL 3,162,023

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ovovo 0 o o Q v a a 0a INVENTOKS Foes/yr Gksr 61567? all/7E5 I ll/mwsrae .1. By MJ Dec. 22, 1964 Filed Jan. 8,

R. G. EGERTON ETAL KNITTING MACHINE 2 Sheets$heet 2 1NVENTOR5 065,?)- 424 65,970

flAmwwg, T/WAW 197 f RA 75 United States Patent '0 "ice 3,162,028 IQHTTENGMACHENE Robert Grey Egerton, 37 03 HendersonRoad, Greensboro, N.C., and James N. Lancaster, E. Main St, Stone= ville, N.C.

Filed fan. 8, H63, Ser. No. 259,156 4 Claims. (Cl. 66151) The present invention relates to knitting twisted paper yarn and, more particularly, .to the spreading of tubular paper fabrics knitted on circular knitting machines. The principal objects of the inventionare to increase the diameter of tubular fabrics and to properly maintain the correct angle between the fabric and theknitting needles of a spring needle type knitting machine.

Circular knitting machines produce a tubular fabric which commonly is pressed fiat and wound on take-up rolls. In the process, especially, on knitting machines of the spring needle type, there is initially a contraction of the fabric to a smaller diameter which is unavoidable. In such machines, the fabric must be maintained in a fairly precise angular relationship. with the knitting needles and, to control this, the fabric is drawn inwardly and upwardly from the needle circle through a ring of smaller diameter.

To. compensate for the contraction, the take-up mechanism usually includes spreaders to enlarge the fabric to its initial diameter before it reaches the take-up rolls. However, the spreaders generally used tend to rupture fabrics-knitted of. twisted paper yarn and it has been considered necessary to limit spreading and accept tubular knitted paper fabrics of significantly reduced diameter.

Hence, to produce very wide fabrics excessively large knitting machines have been required. In addition, certaindifficulties have been encountered with maintenance of the proper knitting angle.

Part of the difficulty may be associatedwith the properties of paper yarn. It is usually pre-rnoistened before being knit to provide adequate flexibility, and tends to hold its moisture while wound on a bobbin. However, the yarn begins drying as soon as it leaves the bobbin and may actually fling olf droplets of water in traveling from the bobbin to the knitting needles. The yarn will continue drying after it is knit since the fabric may be exposed to the .air for a moderate period of time before being wound .on a take-up roll. As it dries, the yarn stiffens and sets and loses the flexibility which otherwise would permit stretching of the fabric by the spreaders commonly installed on knitting machines.

Spreaders presently in use for spring needle knitting machines are shown, for example, in US. Patent 2,329,- 618 of W. A. Ingalls. There is a main spreader immediately below the take-up rolls and an auxiliary spread er ashort distance above the contraction ring. The main spreader might be likened to a pair of gold clubs having the r shafts in line a short distance below the take-up rolls and their heads turned upwardly pressing into the fabric near the ends of the take-up rolls. The bottoms of the club heads, which press into the fabric, have a progressively increasing curvature somewhat greater than that of a 9 iron. It is these spreaders which tend totear paper fabrics.

Auxiliary spreaders now in use for this type of machine generally are horizontal elliptical iron rings whose long axes are parallel to the take-up rolls. Hence, the stretching applied-to the tubular fabrics by both spreaders is not uniform but is principally uniaxial, and assists in collapsing the tube for winding onto rolls.

It has been proposed touse omnidirectional spreading from within the tubular fabric, but this would unnecessarily increase the distance between the knitting cylinder and the take-up rolls.

3,l2,@23 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 the auxiliary spreader to near the take-up rolls to provide uniform stretch across the fabric. Immediately above the auxiliary spreader, the fabric is abruptly stretched by an oversized spreader having diverging spreader bars which draws the fabric outwardly at a steeper angle than it normally would have in passing from the auxiliary spreader to the gold club arrangement described above. The novel auxiliary spreader has the conventional ellipse and, superimposed thereon, a coaxial circular spreader bar. of diameter intermediate the diameters of the ellipse, thus providing stretching pressure transverse to that applied bythe ends of the ellipse. The novel auxiliary spreader provides uniform tension on the fabric at the needle ring and cooperates with the spreaders above it in further rupturefree spreading of the fabric.

The novelspreader mechanism and its use will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment and to the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation, partially in section, of a circular knitting machine of the spring needle type;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the spreaders;

FIGURE 3 is a section along lines 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective of a knitting station.

The knitting machine shown in FIGURES 1 and .4 includes a needle cylinder 1, cylinder drive means 2, yarn supply means 3, a contraction ring 4, auxiliary spreader 5, diverging primary spreader bars 6 and 6, take-up rolls 7, drive means 8 for the take-up rolls and a stand 9. Fabric 10 advances upwardly from the cylinder through the contraction ring 4, outside the auxiliary spreader-5 over the diverging primary spreader bars and 6 and onto the take-up roll. The contraction ring draws the fabric. in so "as to maintain an angle of about 42 with the upright knitting needles and the spreaders cooperate to draw the fabric out again to a width corresponding approximately the circumference of the cylinder.

The stand 9 has legs 11, a horizontal base plate 12 resting on the legs ,two upright posts 13 and 14 on diametrically opposed edges of the base plate and support arms 15 and 16 extending inwardly from the upper ends of the upright posts to support the take-up mechanism.

The cylinder turns about a hollow post 17 mounted on the base plate 12, driven by drive means 2. This includes a motor 18, a drive shaft 19, pulleys 20 and 21 mounted onthe motor shaft and drive shaft respectively and belts 22 and 23 trained around the pulleys. The drive shaft extends toward the center of the base plate 12 and carries two bevel gears 24- and 25 spaced along it near its inner end for connection to the spreaders and the cylinder respectively. The outermost bevel gear 25 meshes with a bevelled ring gear 26 which in turn drives the cylinder 1. The ring gear 26 is mounted beneath a brake drum 27 which rests partially on the base plate 12 and rotates about an upstanding cylindrical guide on the base plate. The hub of the needle cylinder carries a collar 28 keyed to it near its base which in turn is keyed to the brake drum 27.

Knitting on the machine is conventional and is illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 4. Adjacent the legs 11 of the machine near the lower ends thereof issupport means 36 suitably attached to the legs. This serves to support a bobbin 31 from which the thread is directed to the f needles 32 on the needle cylinder.

The bobbin may be a shallow recesses through which the threat. T

through conventional means to furnishing -wheels 36 and 37' seen best in FIGURE 4, arranged for rotation about vertical axes outside of the needle circle. Each of these wheels is provided with circumferentially spaced radial blades, with the blades of one wheel overlapping between adjacent blades of the other wheel. The extreme outer edges of the blades are preferably provided with 7 runs in passing between the wheels, the recesses serving to keep aneaoas needle cylinder having a diameter of 54 inches, typical dimensions are:

Length of the elliptical spreader N92; 58 inches, Diameter of the circular spreader 1M; inches, Elliptical spreader positioned 23 inches above the needles, Contracting ring 4; 5 inches above the needles, Diameter of contracting ring a; 42 inches.

The primary spreader bars 6 and 6 are shown in elevation in FIGURE 1. Each is an upright bar fastened at its lower end to one of the remote ends of the elliptical spreader M92. As shown, each of the spreader bars has two substantially straight upper and lower sections N5 the thread between the wheels and preventing the thread from becoming displaced in an upward or downward direction. Wheel 3'7 is positively rotated through provision of a gear 38, the teeth of which interdigitate with the shanks of the needles at a point below the spring beards of the needles, that is, just above the needle caps. The

and 3.96, the lower being turned outwardly significantly more than the upper. For example, the lower section may be at an angle of about with the horizontal while the upper is at an angle of about with the horizontal. In the case of a 54 inch knitting machine, the lower bars are typically about 11 inches long and the upper sections may be about 12 inches long. At their upper ends, the bars res and see are attached to conventional golf club spreaders m7 and res fastened to the up er end other wheel 36 is carried by a supporting-arm which is preferably yieldably urged toward wheel 37 by any suitable conventional means, the details of which are well known to those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that as .the wheels 36 and 37 are rotated by the drive established with the needles, the wheels will draw the thread T uniformly from the bobbin 31, keeping the thread taut between the Wheels and the bobbin and normally under uniform tension.

From the furnishing wheels, the thread T passes through a guide 39 in another guide armsuitably positioned outside of the needle circle, and then through another guide ll in the free end of the same guide arm, from which the thread is directed to a stitch wheel or sinker 41, likewise'mounted in any convenient manner atthe outside of the needle circle, as by means of a suitable stand. The stitch wheel or sinker 41 feeds the thread T under the beards of the needles as the needles progressively move past the stitch wheel during rotation of the needle cylinder, in a well known manner. At the time the thread is fed under the needle beards, the fabric is pushed down by a shoe or equivalent cloth push down means generally designated 42. If desired, a backing thread B may be presented to the needles in a conventional manner in advance of the main thread feed represented by the thread T. The use of a backing thread and g Between the have, been presented to the needles, the needles move 7 past a presser 47 which presses the needle beards closed. A lander burr or wheel 48 positioned within the needle circle then lands the old stitches or thread loops on the.

needle beards, andas the needles continue to move past The" Spreaders are'turned in synchronism with the needle cylinder by a shaft 1%.. The shaft passes through the center ofhollow post 17 and carries a bevelled ring gear 161 at its base which meshes with the bevel gear a 24 on the drive shaft 19.

i "The auxiliary spreader is shown in plan in FEGURE 2.

the lander wheel 48,; a cast oil burr or wheel 49 casts oil .the old stitches, thereby forming new stitches or thread I loops constituted by the feeding of the main thread. T under the needle" beards. I

verted bevelled ring gear 125 which is stationary.

of shaft Hill by a horizontal bar 1439. it will be appreciated that these golf club spreaders as used herein are merely upward extensions of the bars 6 and 6 and could be omitted if the latter were somewhat longer. However, they provide a convenient upper anchor for the bars 6 and 6 and serve to maintain a proper distance between them. In addition, removal of the bars 6 and 6' leaves the golf clu spreaders in place so that the machine may easily be reeonverted for knitting fabrics other than paper.

The take-up mechanism includes a take-up roll 110, a pair of draw rolls ill and 112 which have roughened outer surfaces, and a pair of presser bars 113 and H4. The presser bars and the rolls are all supported by an inverted U-shaped carriage 15.

A circular track 116 is provided, mounted on the upright posts 13 and 14 by brackets 117 and 118 and the lower ends or" the carriage carries wheels 119 and 120 which roll in the track.

There is a separate drive for the take-up mechanism which rotates it in synchronisrn with the needle cylinder and the spreader-s. This rotation may be, e.g., 14 rpm. lower is supplied by a Dfl. motor 12E synchronized with the needle cylinder by an conventional means. The DC. motor may be mounted on the support arm 15. A plate 123 is suspended between the support arms, as shown in FIGURE 1, and carries a downwardly extending hollow post 3124. At the lower end of the post, there is an in- Driving power for the take-up rolls is provided through bevelled gears 126 and. 126' which are mounted at the inner ends of shafts l2? and 127'. The latter bevelled gears are turned by the ring gear as the carriage 115 turns.

, A shaft 123 passes downwardly through the post 124 and is fixed to theupper portion of the carriage.

The shafts 127 and 12;? turn the take-up rolls through .cranks and ratchet drives in a manner well known to the art and which forms no part of the present invention.

Braking means for the take-up mechanism is also of conventional type as shown, for example, in U.S. Patent suliiciently uniform tension on the fabric that the proper knitting angle is obtained. in addition, the abrupt spreading of the fabric immediately above the auxiliary spreader It'includes the conventional elliptical spreader Hi2 fixed to shaft 1% by spokes 103. 'A circular spreader ltd *is welded, coaxially to spreader Hi2. In the case of a takes advantage of the fact that the fabric is still somewhat moist, at this stage. By the time the fabric reaches the take-up rolls and the golf club Spreaders, it is beere r lieved to have dried sufficiently that it is no longer susceptible to spreading, but by applying excessive tension very quickly it is thought that the best advantage is taken of the properties of paper yarn.

The above description is of a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and mode of operation without departing from the scope of the invention, as this is set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a circular knitting machine for manufacture of tubular fabrics from twisted paper yarn comprising a cylinder carrying a ring of needles, yarn supply means, fabric take-up means for Winding the tubular fabric as a collapsed, double-layered sheet, contracting means drawing the fabric to a diameter less than that of the needle ring and spreader means intermediate the contracting means and the fabric take-up means to increase the diameter of the tubular fabric; the improved spreader means which comprises an elliptical spreader having its plane perpendicular to the axis of the tubular fabric and a pair of rapidly diverging spreader bars commencing adjacent the remote ends of said elliptical spreader and extending to near said take-up means, the angle between said axis and the parts of said spreader bars adjacent the remote ends of said elliptical spreader being at least substantially as great as the angles between said axis and lines drawn from said remote ends to the distal ends of said spreader bars, so that said fabric will remain in contact With the spreader bars. as it leaves said elliptical spreader.

2. A circular knitting machine as set forth in claim 1 in which the take-up means is a roll which collapses the 6 in which said elliptical spreader has superimposed upon it a coaxial circular spreader of diameter intermediate the diameters of said elliptical spreader.

4. In a circular knitting machine for manufacture of tubular fabrics from twisted paper yarn comprising a cylinder carrying a ring of needles, yarn supply means, fabric take-up means for winding the tubular fabric as a collapsed, double-layered sheet, contracting means drawing the fabric to a diameter less than that of the needle ring and spreader means intermediate the contracting means and the fabric take-up means to increase the diameter of the tubular fabric; the improved spreader means which comprises an elliptical spreader having its plane perpendicular to the axis of the tubular fabric and a pair of rapidly diverging spreader bars commencing adjacent the remote ends of said elliptical spreader and extending to near said take-up means, each of the diverging spreader bars having a section immediately adjacent said elliptical spreader in which the bars diverge to a high degree and another section nearer to said take-up means in which the diverging spreader bars are more nearly parallel, whereby the rate of expansion of said tubular fabric immediately adjacent said elliptical spreader is greater,

than the average rate of expansion between the elliptical spreader and the ends of said diverging spreader bars adjacent said take-up means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 963 5/60 Tompkins et al 66l47 729,074 5/03 Lasher 66151 2,329,618 9/43 Ingalls 66-157 DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner. 

1. IN A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURE OF TUBULAR FABRICS FROM TWISTED PAPER YARN COMPRISING A CYLINDER CARRYING A RING OF NEEDLES, YARN SUPPLY MEANS, FABRIC TAKE-UP MEANS FOR WINDING THE TUBULAR FABRIC AS A COLLAPSED, DOUBLE-LAYERED SHEET, CONTRACTING MEANS DRAWING THE FABRIC TO A DIAMETER LESS THAN THAT OF THE NEEDLE RING AND SPREADER MEANS INTERMEDIATE THE CONTRACTING MEANS AND THE FABRIC TAKE-UP MEANS TO INCREASE THE DIAMETER OF THE TUBULAR FABRIC; THE IMPROVED SPREADER MEANS WHICH COMPRISES AN ELLIPTICAL SPREADER HAVING ITS PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF THE TUBULAR FABRIC AND A PAIR OF RAPIDLY DIVERGING SPREADER BARS COMMENCING ADJACENT THE REMOTE ENDS OF SAID ELLIPTICAL SPREADER AND EXTENDING TO NEAR SAID TAKE-UP MEANS, THE ANGLE BETWEEN SAID AXIS AND THE PARTS OF SAID SPREADER BARS ADJACENT THE REMOTE ENDS OF SAID ELLIPTICAL SPREADER BEING AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY AS GREAT AS THE ANGLES BETWEEN SAID AXIS AND LINES DRAWN FROM SAID REMOTE ENDS TO THE DISTAL ENDS OF SAID SPREADER BARS, SO THAT SAID FABRIC WILL REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH THE SPREADER BARS AS IT LEAVES SAID ELLIPTICAL SPREADER. 